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Houck

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, the current plan is for Houck to throw about 20 pitches with Double-A Portland on Tuesday, then 40-45 with Portland on Friday. Then he’ll join Triple-A Worcester for a game next week and could be an option to return to Boston after that. Obviously, he could also be built up to around 50 pitches at that point, which means Houck could even fill a starter/opener role with Patrick Sandoval or Brayan Bello following behind him. It remains to be seen what role Houck will have, but getting him back will be a nice boost for the Red Sox pitching staff.

This is great news for a Red Sox bullpen that currently has all of Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Zack Kelly, and Tyron Guerrero. Houck has plenty of experience in high-leverage innings and can help provide some relief to a tired relief corps. It may take him four or five appearances before the Red Sox feel comfortable bringing him up, considering he hasn’t appeared in a game since May 12th of last season.

Tracy said that it was roughly 15-18 pitches, and Houck averaged around 92 mph on his fastball while touching 94 mph. We could see Houck begin a rehab assignment within the week, which could make him an option for the bullpen later this month.

Houck is probably going to wind up pitching in relief during the final month of the season given Boston’s rotation depth. He’s been working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery and should be ready for a rehab assignment in the near future.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy reported that Houck, who had surgery to repair his right ulnar collateral ligament and flexor tendon in his right elbow, is throwing multiple bullpens a week and is up to 40 pitches. He should advance to facing live hitters soon, and there is a chance that Houck could be an option for the Boston bullpen in September.

Houck is set to miss the majority of the 2026 season while recovering from a hybrid reconstruction of the right ulnar collateral ligament with flexor tendon repair in his right elbow, so this move was inevitable. If he does return, it would likely only be for a start or two in September where he’d still face workload limitations. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues can find better use of their late round picks.

Houck will likely miss most of next season after undergoing elbow surgery, but he’s also arbitration-eligible in 2027, so the Red Sox will have him under contract for two more years.

Houck is expected to miss most or all of next season following elbow surgery and has only two years to go before free agency, so it’s not an easy call, especially given that he really struggled before going down last season he’s due around $4 million in arbitration. Perhaps the two sides can work out a two-year deal with about a $4 million salary.

That this was a hybrid surgery rather than the normal Tommy John opens up the possibility that Houck could return late next year, and it probably makes it more likely that the Red Sox will retain him in the offseason. With two years to go before free agency, he seemed like a candidate to be non-tendered if he was ruled out for 2026.

It’s a brutal development for both Houck and the Red Sox, especially given the timing of the impending procedure, which likely sidelines him through the 2026 campaign. The 29-year-old right-hander has been out since mid-May with a flexor strain and ultimately couldn’t avoid elbow surgery after multiple setbacks. He posted a disastrous 8.04 ERA in nine starts to open the season, and at this point, it’s fair to question whether he remains in Boston’s long-term rotation plans.